Rings of Power

“The Rings of Power” is set around a thousand years before Frodo (Elijah Wood) and his Fellowship took their journey in the movies. So, very few characters are ...

His exact identity before he was corrupted by the rings is unknown. “The Rings of Power” is set around a thousand years before Frodo (Elijah Wood) and his Fellowship took their journey in the movies. [Nazgûl](https://lotr.fandom.com/wiki/Nazg%C3%BBl). And there’s no reason to think he could still be alive thousands of years from this time period, to meet Frodo. Spoiler alert — since they’re in the movies a thousand years later, obviously, they’re not. The show chronicles the rise of the villain Sauron and the forging of the Rings of Power (one of which is the One Ring that Frodo will eventually destroy).

Amazon's big, expensive take on the Lord of the Rings is the Rings of Power, which explores a new period and starts streaming on Amazon Prime on September ...

Having invested hundreds of millions in mounting a series version of "The Lord of the Rings," Amazon has gotten its money's worth in production values but ...

The prologue that opens Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring explains the rise of the villainous Sauron, his creation of ...

“It was an extensive jigsaw puzzle of facial hair,” hair and makeup head Jane O'Kane says of Arthur's transformation. The team included makeup and hair artist ...

The first taste of Prime Video's long-awaited, big-budget series reveals one of the most captivating fantasy worlds in TV history.

Bezos thanked showrunners Patrick McKay and John D. Payne for ignoring his notes on the series.

Among the many familiar elements in the Prime Video series coming Sept. 2 is the dwarf stronghold of Khazad-dûm. If you've watched Peter Jackson's classic Lord ...

The Rings of Power takes place in the Second Age of Middle-earth, thousands of years before Frodo and friends ever thought about leaving the Shire. This is the challenge The Rings of Power faces. Instead, these elements do a lot of heavy lifting in settling the viewer into this complex story. The first two episodes alone serve up a feast of sweeping shots over snowy mountains, open plains and painfully gorgeous elven architecture. Judging from screeners of the first two episodes provided by Prime Video, The Rings of Power makes a steady return to Middle-earth, offering all the things that endeared the originals to so many of us those many years ago: the breathtaking vistas, the latex prosthetics and even the occasional bouts of ponderous dialogue delivered to some point on the horizon. If you've watched Peter Jackson's classic Lord of the Rings film trilogy, you've visited Khazad-dûm as a terrifying tomb littered with skeletons, festooned with cobwebs and policed by a particularly nasty fire demon.

Amazon's new Lord Of The Rings TV show, The Rings Of Power, debuts on Amazon Prime Video tonight. Here's five good reasons to tune in.

Amazon has adapted the appendices to The Silmarillion, and the only way to do that and make it a palatable TV show is to make a lot of changes. Some of these mysteries include a mysterious stranger encountered by some of our heroes, who may or may not be connected to The Lord Of The Rings. I’ll be recapping each episode as we go as well, so be sure to [follow me here on this blog](https://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/#196d790943ab) and on It’s simply outstanding, adding layers of drama and emotion to the show that simply wouldn’t exist without it. Could he already be there right before our noses, hiding in plain sight disguised as one of the characters? The good news is that this show, at least in its first two episodes, stays faithful to Tolkien’s themes, if not the letter of his writing. The Rings Of Power is anything but cheap. Galadriel, Elrond, Durin, Bronwyn and and every other character introduced in the sprawling two-episode premiere already have my attention. Everything from the special effects to the wildly detailed costumes is extraordinary. It’s one of the best-looking TV shows I’ve ever seen. I entered a skeptic, but walked away a believer. Here are five.

Amazon's pricey, gorgeous fantasy spectacle delivers what fans expect, but it could thrive by giving them what they don't.

“Rings of Power” is spectacular on the screen, but This could make “Rings of Power” an outlier in the TV-fantasy environment post-“Game of Thrones,” whose good-guys-get-decapitated ethos was in many ways a reaction to Tolkien. But she is interesting, and that’s what “Rings of Power” will need to be, more than faithful, to sustain itself over multiple seasons. One day, fate serves one up in the form of a meteor. And in an outpost deep in human country, the elf warrior Arondir (Ismael Cruz Córdova) nurses a forbidden crush on a mortal healer, Bronwyn (Nazanin Boniadi), whose downtrodden neighbors picked Sauron’s side in the last war. A multiseason series can’t live in the operatic intensity of a fantasy film; it needs to build a world, evolve character and develop story arcs over time. (Númenor, the Atlantis-like kingdom of humans whose rise and fall dominates the Second Age, doesn’t even figure into the opening hours.) Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy and the Peter Jackson movie adaptations, to the era when the fateful magic knickknacks of the title were forged. Payne and Patrick McKay, have a Wikipedia-like mishmash of family trees and invented alphabets that describes the series’s time period, the Second Age, this way: “Of events in Middle-earth the records are few and brief, and their dates are often uncertain.” But while I am a middling-level Middle-earth-ophile (have read “The Silmarillion”; do not speak Here she’s a young, headstrong and deadly warrior, with “Crouching Tiger” moves and a conviction that Sauron, the once and future big bad, is still alive and plotting. [current fantasy competition](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/19/arts/television/house-of-the-dragon-review.html), a sky filled with wheeling and menacing dragons.

Executive producer Lindsey Weber talks about where “Rings of Power” fits into J.R.R. Tolkien's mythology, and how it hopes to appeal to newbies as well as ...

Q: What is at stake in “The Rings of Power”? Were viewers like that considered when creating “The Rings of Power?” We know what the last shot of the series will be. It is the rise of the dark lord Sauron. [“The Rings of Power”] is really the length of three feature tent-pole films shot on the schedule of two for the price of one. It’s a very different time for the people of Middle-earth in the Second Age. Q: “The Rings of Power” reportedly had an enormous budget. A: The rings of power takes place in the Second Age, which is thousands of years before the events of the Third Age, which most people know — Frodo and Bilbo and all of that. It is the rise and fall of Tolkien’s Atlantis, the story of Númenor. It’s based on the appendices, which tell the story of the Second Age. New characters will be introduced, as well as younger versions of immortal characters first met in the original Lord of the Rings trilogy (which is currently streaming on HBO Max, if you’d like a refresher on this world). A: Anyone who has the Lord of the Rings books in their home already has it.

Artist/JRR Tolkien devotee Jenna Kass and TV critic/fantasy philistine Dylan Roth are a married couple who have joined forces to review the new original ...

That being said, if this premiere is anything to go by, I think it’s important to acknowledge that this isn’t a show made for the lovers of Tolkien’s writings. I care about some of the threads more than others, of course, and I’m still nursing some very petty grumblings, but I’m certainly not hate-watching. The other characters are a mix of canon and creation. And since she’s the main character, her being stubbornly right in the face of everyone being patronizingly wrong takes up a lot of air, especially in Episode 1. (The viewer is clearly supposed to assume this is Gandalf, though this could be a deliberate mislead.) DYLAN: I can’t blame Rings of Power creators JD Payne and Patrick McKay for choosing a character who’s familiar to mass audiences as the lead of their show, nor for the decision to reimagine Galadriel as an action hero. I understand that the series uses a mix of original and refurbished characters and concepts from the Sil and other Tolkien back matter. I came to this show telling myself I wasn’t expecting—or necessarily looking for—orthodoxy, that instead my focus would be on whether this felt like Tolkien to me in the way that the best moments of the Jackson films did. I’m interested in Galadriel having fought for so long that she can’t imagine moving on, and the way that’s frightening both to her and to her peers. High fantasy isn’t my preferred genre to read or to watch, but like most people of my generation I was swept up in the splendor and excitement of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings film trilogy, which I’ve watched front to back at least a dozen times. This is probably the context that the producers and financiers of The Rings of Power are expecting from the bulk of their audience, whereas your interest, Jenna, is coming from a more educated place. Can this latest on-screen voyage to Middle Earth satisfy both a diehard with the wisdom of the Eldar and your average Sam, Pip, or Merry?

Amazon's “The Rings of Power” will struggle to recreate the magic of Middle-earth, a world not fit for “cinematic universe” treatment.

No wonder people say that reading “The Lord of the Rings” feels more like an experience than a book — What makes Tolkien’s work unique is the moral heart of his story and the consistency with which he maintains it. It will be because the new adaptation lacks the literary and moral depth that make Middle-earth not just another cinematic universe but a world worth saving. Many of the most popular cinematic universes have been born of visually centered mediums: “Star Wars” in film, “Star Trek” in television, and Marvel in comic books. Rowling in the “Fantastic Beasts” films, for example — is no guarantee that derivative works in a different medium will have the special qualities that made the originals successful. It evokes the flavor of Anglo-Saxon epic poetry and Old Norse sagas, giving readers the sense that they are reading something very old that has been translated by Professor Tolkien, not composed by him. (He sold the film rights in 1969 only in order to help [pay a tax bill](https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/tolkien-family-in-quest-for-lord-of-the-rings-tv-rights-amazon-netflix-6shrcdbsg); the television rights were [sold](https://www.polygon.com/23311153/the-lord-of-the-rings-the-hobbit-film-game-rights-embracer-group) to Amazon by his heirs.) (As a scholar of Tolkien’s works, I get regular requests to proofread tattoos that use Tolkien’s Elvish languages.) The cultural and linguistic cohesion that lends Middle-earth its magic is not so easily mimicked. So it is hard to believe that he would have approved of a team of writers building almost entirely new stories with little direct basis in his works. Tolkien’s world in the era of the “cinematic universe.” But the investment is also part of a common strategy in Hollywood: Entertainment companies seem to have decided that owning the rights to beloved works, rather than producing original stories, is the key to maximizing profits. The writing that this dynamic is particularly good at producing — witty banter, arch references to contemporary issues, graphic and often sexualized violence, self-righteousness — is poorly suited to Middle-earth, a world with a multilayered history that eschews both tidy morality plays and blockbuster gore.

The A.V. Club takes a detailed look at the most important realms and lands in the new version of Middle-earth.

To Lord Of The Rings fans, it’s best-known as the realm Frodo and Bilbo sail to after the destruction of the One Ring and the fall of Sauron, and therefore basically serves within that narrative as a version of Heaven. In terms of the land itself, it’s exactly what it sounds like: A wasteland of snow and ice that’s barely habitable and full of threats from both the elements and the creatures who dare to live there. Valinor is the realm of the Valar–the 14 deities who shaped the world at the behest of Tolkien’s supreme deity, Eru Ilúvatar–and as such is almost unimaginably beautiful and peaceful. Though the primary seat of Elvish rule in The Rings Of Power is Lindon, there are other wondrous places to behold in Middle-earth that were built by the Elves. How and why Celebrimbor creates these rings, and who influences their crafting along the way, is all for the series to tell you, but if you’ve read The Lord Of The Rings, you know it’s about much more than making some cool jewelry. In the trailers for The Rings Of Power, you may have noticed Galadriel spending quite a bit of time in a snowy landscape, climbing ice cliffs with her knife and searching for something evil amid the freeze. Of all the locations viewers will get to know throughout The Rings Of Power, Númenor might ultimately prove to be the most consequential. [The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power](https://www.avclub.com/tv/reviews/the-lord-of-the-rings-the-rings-of-power-2022) will finally take us back to the Second Age, the era before The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and bring with it a new live-action version of the Middle-earth landscape. Speaking of realms that aren’t faring well by the time we see them in The Lord Of The Rings, there’s Khazad-dûm, the Dwarven kingdom in the Misty Mountains that’s perhaps better known to fans of Tolkien’s trilogy as Moria. During the War of Wrath, Morgoth (the original Dark Lord) sought to mold Middle-earth in his own dark image, and he had more than a few converts along the way. It’s also, as gateways to paradise should be, a beautiful realm filled with structures made in harmony with the earth, and tributes to Elven achievements and losses in their struggle against the forces of Evil. While they’re still found all over the map in The Rings Of Power, a key feature of the Second Age is the centralized power of Lindon, the realm of High King of the Elves Gil-galad (Benjamin Walker).

At the London premiere for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos thanked the showrunners for ignoring his notes on the show.

“And after Amazon got involved in this project, my son came up to me one day, he looked me in the eyes, very sincerely, and he said: ‘Dad, please don’t eff this up.’ And he was right. “I was probably 13 or 14 years old [and] I fell in love with the adventure of course, with the detailed universe, with the feelings of hope and optimism, with the idea that everybody has a role to play. And as one of the richest men in the world, he was one of the few who could afford to spend reportedly $1 billion to get the series rights to [The Lord of the Rings](https://superherohype.com/tag/the-lord-of-the-rings) and produce [The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power](https://superherohype.com/tag/the-lord-of-the-rings-the-rings-of-power). But mostly I need to thank you for ignoring me at exactly the right times.” Bezos admitted that he was very hands-on with the series. [The Expanse](https://superherohype.com/tag/the-expanse) on Amazon Prime Video without Bezos’ support for the show.

It's a tale of the tape between the new iterations of the Game of Thrones and LOTR franchises.

The self-annihilating conflict will be known as the “Dance of the Dragons” for the massive beasts that the family’s armies ride to attack each other. House of the Dragon In Game of Thrones, Daenerys was driven to reclaim the supremacy over Westeros that was once wielded by her Targaryen ancestors—aka the House of the Dragon. We’re about to witness a clash of the titans, as fantasy obsessives now have two franchise prequels to juggle: House of the Dragon, the Game of Thrones prequel that is now two episodes in on HBO Max, and The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, which debuts today on Amazon Prime.

The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power will premiere with the first two episodes, and here's all you need to know about the show's release schedule.

The show will follow a weekly release schedule, and a new episode will release Thanks to the time difference, fans in some regions (the US, Latin America, and Canada) will get the episodes on Thursday, September 1st, 2022, at 6 PM PT (Pacific Timing). The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power will premiere with the first two episodes on Friday, September 2nd, 2022, at 1 AM GMT (Greenwich Mean Time), but the release time will vary depending on your region.

Meanwhile, Amazon is readying its own fantasy series: The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. While excitement for House of the Dragon was pretty high before ...

People are friends in The Rings of Power, whereas in Westeros friendship is always conditional, or crumbles in the face of impossible circumstance. In the first two episodes, the closest The Rings of Power gets to the gritty conflicts of House of the Dragon is a thread about elves watching over a group of men whose ancestors fought for Sauron’s master Morgoth in battles millennia ago. That’s not to say that The Rings of Power can’t get dark, but the darkness is more elemental and therefore not as viscerally disturbing; a sea monster attacks a ship in a storm, Galadriel pursues the dark god Sauron in revenge for him killing her brother in the War of Wrath. And just as there are grim scenes on House of the Dragon you’ll never see on The Rings of Power, so are there joyful scenes in that show that are unthinkable in Westeros. Like Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon tamps things down a bit. In any case, the show premieres tomorrow on Amazon Prime Video, which means it’s going to be running alongside House of the Dragon; new episodes of Rings of Power drop on Fridays and new episodes of House of the Dragon on Sundays. And The Rings of Power is set thousands of years before The Lord of the Rings, when elves were still plentiful in Middle-earth, hobbits weren’t really known, and Sauron hadn’t yet made the One Ring. House of the Dragon is already picking up where Game of Thrones left off. House of the Dragon is set over 150 years before Game of Thrones, back when the Targaryens were at the height of their power. While excitement for House of the Dragon was pretty high before the show premiered earlier this month, hype for The Rings of Power has been more tepid, although there are plenty of reasons to get excited. And just to be clear, I have no intention of slowing down on the comparisons; they’re way too fun to make. Clearly, people did not get their fill of Westeros with the end of the original series, and House of the Dragon is giving them plenty to dine on.

Tolkien's high-fantasy world. Before you read our review of those two episodes, which premiere Friday, September 2, avail yourself of this spoiler-free guide to ...

There are six of them: “Annals of the Kings and Rulers,” “The Tale of Years,” “Family Trees,” “Calendars,” “Writing and Spelling,” and “Languages and Peoples of the Third Age” and “On Translation” (these last two form one appendix). Shore handled the theme music for “The Rings of Power,” while “The Rings of Power” isn’t a direct adaptation of any one book the way Jackson’s two trilogies were. Peter Jackson’s trilogy was set during the Third Age of Middle-earth, whereas “The Rings of Power” takes place in the Second Age — a difference that accounts for thousands of years. And nine, nine rings were gifted to the race of Men — who above all else, desire power.” But they were all of them deceived, you’ll surely recall, for another ring was made as well — the One Ring to Rule Them All. Five years after it was announced that Amazon would bring “The Lord of the Rings” to television, “The Rings of Power” is finally here.

The Prime Video series, reportedly the most expensive of all time, had the first leg of its premiere rollout last night.

As fan @ [@Sarenity93](https://twitter.com/Sarenity93) puts it simply: “If you love LOTR and/or fantasy, it’s a must watch.” The Rings Of Power is a go big or go home series if ever one existed, and that’s a fact that’s drawn equal amounts of respect and anxiety. [@acpovcrew](https://twitter.com/acpovcrew) urges fans to go in without qualms about the “incredible” series, and just let it speak for itself. [@cadecalrayn](https://twitter.com/cadecalrayn), the series is “visually stunning” and immediately merits a rewatch. Of course, it’s impossible to talk about the enormous scale of The Rings Of Power premiere without mentioning another small-budget, indie series that’s been getting some buzz: HBO’s Game Of Thrones prequel House Of The Dragon. [Save $150Galaxy Z Fold4](https://events.release.narrativ.com/api/v0/client_redirect/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.samsung.com%2Fus%2Fsmartphones%2Fgalaxy-z-fold4%2Fbuy%2F%3FmodelCode%3DSM-F936UZEAXAA%26nrtv_cid%3D.nrtv_plchldr.%26cid%3Dopmc-ecomm-nrtiv-mob-042720-142014-theinventory-12497918%26utm_source%3Dtheinventory%26utm_medium%3Dnarrativ%26utm_campaign%3D12497918%26utm_content%3Dmob%26nrtv_as_src%3D1%26offerCID%3Dreserve%26source%3Dnarrativ&a=1782524447985141847&uuid=487f3a13-58da-4f51-b4e1-af644198317f&uid_bam=1741179819279353350&ar=1782651785371609546)

The highly-anticipated live-action series set in the fantasy world created by J.R.R. Tolkien serves as a prequel to Peter Jackson's beloved film trilogy and ...

ET. Check out the trailer and official synopsis for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power below: Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings books, and will take viewers back to an era in which great powers were forged, kingdoms rose to glory and fell to ruin, unlikely heroes were tested, hope hung by the finest of threads, and one of the greatest villains that ever flowed from Tolkien’s pen threatened to cover all the world in darkness. The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power premieres exclusively on Prime Video with two episodes today, September 1, at 9 p.m. Set in the Second Age of Middle-Earth, The Rings of Power explores the past of some key characters of Jackson’s trilogy, including Elrond (Robert Aramayo), Galadriel (Morfydd Clark), and Isildur (Maxim Baldry). [The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power](https://collider.com/tag/the-lord-of-the-rings-the-rings-of-power/) is finally getting released today, September 1, with two episodes.

The highly anticipated show set in J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth will air on Fridays this fall. The first two episodes drop on September 2, 2022, ...

Before joining T&C, she was the deputy managing editor at [Hey Alma](https://www.heyalma.com/), a Jewish culture site. EDT Follow her @emburack on [Twitter ](https://twitter.com/emburack)and The show is the most expensive television show ever made. Set thousands of years before the events of J.R.R.

'The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power' VFX sequences used 1500 visual effect artists and 20 studios, and generated over 9500 VFX shots to recapture ...

What made “Rings of Power” unique was “we found a way that all assets could be shared and they all talked to each other. The Sundering Seas sequence took weeks to put together, with a special focus on making the waves look terrifying and violently strong. Their goal wasn’t about who could do the job, it was ensuring everyone could come together and work cohesively to deliver the spectacle that was required of it. “Rings of Power,” streaming on Prime Video, is set thousands of years before the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, in the Second Age of Middle-earth. As for finding the right VFX studios, he compares it to a casting audition. It is finished to a theatrical resolution.”

A set of zooming J.R.R. Tolkien maps will help you understand where locations in LOTR: The Rings of Power are in the Second Age, and how that fits into the ...

Tolkien](https://www.polygon.com/lord-of-the-rings/22550950/sam-frodo-queer-romance-lord-of-the-rings-tolkien-quotes) didn’t just love maps — he ascribed the entire world-building success of [The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings](https://www.polygon.com/lord-of-the-rings/22550950/sam-frodo-queer-romance-lord-of-the-rings-tolkien-quotes) to his cartographical exercises. In Rings of Power, the camera swoops over sections of this map like an Indiana Jones movie might. A few key locations emerge in the opening two episodes of Rings of Power, including Forodwaith, where Galadriel is hunting down clues of an lingering evil; Rhovanion, home to the hobbit-like harfoots; and the Eregion region, where one can find the dwarven kingdom of Khazad-dûm tucked away underneath a mountain range. It’s such a thrill to see the dang map on screen that I was left wanting to see the full thing. And it’s no surprise that the new Amazon series [The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power](https://www.polygon.com/23329258/lord-rings-power-review-episode-release) honors Tolkien’s achievement in rendering Middle-earth in map form. The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is an exception to a point; as the first two episodes jump around Middle-earth to introduce us to new elves, dwarves, humans, harfoots, and others, the action occasionally cuts away to the same designs Tolkien drew from as he pieced together Frodo’s story.

James Poniewozik, The New York Times's chief television critic, writes that in the early going, the series “does not reinvent the ring.” It does, however, “add ...

The critic Nick Schager admires how the show incorporates beloved characters — particularly Galadriel (“the soul of “The Rings of Power”) — while also establishing stunning new kingdoms. (“Its emotional core, though simplistic, is just as big and openhearted.”) The brute force of its size also raises some existential questions: “At what point is a television show so big and so uninterested in being TV-shaped that it essentially makes it another species?” “These pastoral scenes manage to capture the magic of the late-80s BBC version of ‘The Chronicles of Narnia.’” And despite the enormous computer-generated expenditures in evidence, Pulliam-Moore most appreciates practical effects like the hide-y holes at the Harfoot encampment, which provide “some of the series’ most truly magical moments.” Despite the promise of an “awfully big adventure,” he thinks one of the best parts of the show is something — or someone — small: the proto-hobbits known as the Harfoots. The critic Robert Lloyd thinks the series fits into a gray middle area, “neither a disaster nor a triumph,” adding that he feels that casting actors of color and foregrounding female characters, particularly Galadriel (played by Morfydd Clark), benefit the show. Variety’s chief TV critic, Caroline Framke, sees beauty in how the series balances so many disparate characters and story lines, like spinning plates: “When one threatens to come crashing down, the show can simply move on to the next until it’s ready to pick up where it left off.” The steadiest of those plates, though, remains Galadriel. karaoke.” For now, he frets about finding laughs where there aren’t supposed to be any — in the maps (“more funny than informative”), the special effects (almost “Monty Python”) and the plotting. “Look for inflammatory statements in ALL CAPs and words like ‘woke,’ ‘SJW,’ and ‘normies’ used in the pejorative sense,” she writes. If viewers are disappointed by the Amazon series, Drout predicts, it will because it lacks the “literary and moral depth” of Tolkien’s world. The show “needs more politics and personality and nonmagical conflict,” Douthat writes. More important, it manages, eventually and occasionally, to create its own swashbuckling, storytelling magic.” Some of those magic sparks come in the form of a “star-man,” who travels to Middle-earth via a meteor, and a nuanced portrayal of Galadriel: “A troubled, obsessed Carrie Mathison-like Galadriel may not be purely Tolkien,” Poniewozik writes.

Amazon Prime Video already confirmed multiple seasons of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. But how much information does the new cast have about ...

[Reviews for the new program](https://www.cinemablend.com/streaming-news/first-reactions-are-here-for-the-lord-of-the-rings-the-rings-of-power-see-what-people-are-saying-about-the-amazon-prime-series) have been strong, with even die hard creators like The Sandman’s [Neil Gaiman giving the show his seal of approval](https://www.cinemablend.com/streaming-news/neil-gaiman-has-seen-some-of-new-lotr-series-rings-of-power-shares-seal-of-approval-with-silmarillion-oriented-comment). In the early going of this show, her mission is to continue a quest started by her brother, and to pound the warning drums that a massive evil is heading to Middle-earth. [air five complete seasons of the show](https://www.cinemablend.com/television/2485140/how-lord-of-the-rings-season-2-renewal-at-amazon-will-help-the-show-be-more-like-the-films), giving the bulk of the cast job security. Morfydd Clark’s courageous Galadriel is one of those characters who we will catch up with in the debut episode of the new series, and one who is going to be very important as the saga rolls on. The sprawling epic takes viewers through numerous lands and introduces waves of new (and familiar) characters, though we are seeing them in early stages compared to when we caught up with them in the Peter Jackson trilogy films. [Amazon Prime Video program](https://www.cinemablend.com/television/2570421/the-best-amazon-prime-original-shows-to-binge-watch-now) The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power makes its debut on the streaming service.

"The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" stars Morfydd Clark, Sophia Nomvete and Nazanin Boniadi spoke with Parade.com about playing strong female ...

"I think that like children in general should have, whether they're girls or boys, should have a big variation of characters and people who they can aspire [to] or be inspired by," she said. What's "great" about The Rings of Power, as Boniadi pointed out, "is that every world has a strong woman in it." Stepping into the role of the legendary elven commander was both exciting and interesting for Clark. And so moving forward, this is what the Legendary elf Galadriel, dwarven Princess Disa and human healer Bronwyn, played by Morfydd Clark, Sophia Nomvete and [Nazanin Boniadi](https://parade.com/638735/paulettecohn/nazanin-boniadi-on-her-upcoming-role-in-the-espionage-thriller-counterpart/), respectively, are among the women of The Lord of the Rings prequel. "Strong characters belong in this world.

We've been all over this week - talking to Rings of Powers' showrunners, visiting Gamescom, and more.

Finally, in true Bevan fashion, Rhiannon embraced her inner-zoomer and tried out SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake, and it looks to be [a return to the 2000s in the best way possible](https://www.thegamer.com/spongebob-squarepants-the-cosmic-shake-preview-gamescom/). [a fantastic one](https://www.thegamer.com/sonic-frontiers-great-gameplay-open-world-combat-story/), even if it’s pushing aside Sonic’s charming cringe, while High on Life might not be the grating Rick & Morty clone that many assumed, though it could easily get too much. With a lot of the weight of organizational stuff lifted off of folks' shoulders, the sheer amount of polish they are able to do has increased.” The Last of Us’ remake brings that back to the forefront, and gaming could learn a lot from its troubled representation and how its sequel went on to improve things so much. You live out your years from age ten to 20, meaning that you go through all the awkward stages of puberty, and for Jade, that meant letting them live out a life where they went through the puberty they always wish they’d had as a trans woman, with nothing ever being brought under the microscope or picked apart needlessly. The Last of Us’ Left Behind DLC was ahead of the curve back in 2013, featuring a queer romance front and centre which should’ve been a cause for celebration.

In the battle between dragons and elves, Prime Video bankrolls a glorious play for the streaming fantasy throne. By Melanie McFarland. TV Critic ...

In an environment where TV producers insist on trying to sell the audience on the gravitas of their work by insisting their show isn't a show but more like a 10-hour movie, here is a project whose quest is to take a story most successfully adapted as movies and make the plot work in an episodic form. The same observation was made about the King of Pop, especially when comparing him to Prince, who couldn't match his moves but was a superior composer and instrumentalist. What remains to be seen is whether they'll take that chance or wed the show's spirit more completely to that of the movie trilogy. And adventuring isn't primarily left to the males of each people; this time a daring female Harfoot, Nori Brandyfoot (Markella Kavenagh), pushes beyond the simple life expected of her, not one of her brethren. Sauron represents the last remnant of an evil incursion that spread over the sea to the elves' homeland of Valinor, bringing a wave of them to Middle-earth to beat back the darkness. "The Rings of Power" is virtually review proof. But we all know from Cate Blanchett's narration in the "Fellowship" opening credits that the land's troubles are only beginning. The Starks, Lannisters, and Targaryens were unknown factors when "Game of Thrones" debuts, but everybody knows what hobbits are – although here, we meet Frodo and Bilbo's distant ancestors, the Harfoots. Payne and McKay take full advantage of Middle-earth's expansiveness by taking their time to acquaint us with figures we've never met before, several of whom don't appear in its opening pair of episodes. This is a series that demands patience and a long memory and presumes our trust that its extensive atmosphere establishment and world-building is leading to someplace worthwhile. Tolkien's estate ](https://www.salon.com/2017/11/13/lord-of-the-rings-amazon/)simply to secure the rights back in 2017 – a full two years before HBO's dragon-powered juggernaut went off the air. The New Zealand fields and forests look as gorgeous as ever, as does everyone walking in them who isn't an orc or a brown-toothed peasant.

The war is over. "Game of Thrones" prequel “House of the Dragon” scorches “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.”

The series lacks the elegance, detail and cinematic substance of the Oscar winning “Lord of the Rings” movies. [played in “Rings” on TV by Clark](https://nypost.com/2022/08/31/the-rings-of-power-review-lord-of-the-rings-show-a-triumph/), is a fierce warrior and gets the bulk of the screen time, along with fellow baby elf Elrond. Tolkien’s “Appendices” to “Lord of the Rings.” They amount to a dry Wikipedia entry of complementary historical information about Middle Earth. “Dragon,” meanwhile, is based on George R.R. “Rings of Power” and “House of the Dragon” are dueling to quench our thirst for expensive fantasy. “Dragon” scorches “Rings.” Martin’s novel “Fire & Blood.” Martin not only writes books like he has movies on the mind, but he is also a skilled screenwriter. Making a wise omniscient being into a scrappy fighter is a lot like when George Lucas had Yoda do backflips in the “Star Wars” prequels. [House of the Dragon](https://trk.hbomax.com/aff_c?offer_id=5&aff_id=1020&source=nyp)” vs. When Cate Blanchett played her in Peter Jackson’s splendid “Lord of the Rings” film trilogy, she was a grandiose intervener who showed up here and there, creeped us out, and left. when “Rings” premieres, the war is over. The trouble with elves like Galadriel is they’re mysterious, ethereal and boring.

Plus, what dwarves Prince Durin IV and Princess Disa's loving domesticity looks like during the Golden Age of Khazad-dûm.

[See Also](https://www.tvinsider.com/1058453/lotr-the-rings-of-power-cast-source-material-jrr-tolkien/) [How Familiar Is 'The Rings of Power' Cast With Tolkien's World? “He’s leaving his past behind and he’s looking to the future and meeting Galadriel, I think, poses a few questions about his future, and also about his past.” When viewers (and Galadriel) initially encounter Vickers’ human Halbrand, he’s just barely surviving in the midst of a shipwreck on the Sundering Seas. Clark notes that the physically-demanding sequence also helped to ease any tension. And, don’t forget to pick up a copy of TV Guide Magazine’s 70th annual Fall Preview, which is available on newsstands now, for even more Rings of Power scoop. We’ll meet nearly all of their characters in the first two episodes of the series, but one, in particular, enters with a splash — literally.

Among the many familiar elements in the Prime Video series coming Sept. 2 is the dwarf stronghold of Khazad-dûm. If you've watched Peter Jackson's classic Lord ...

The Rings of Power takes place in the Second Age of Middle-earth, thousands of years before Frodo and friends ever thought about leaving the Shire. This is the challenge The Rings of Power faces. Instead, these elements do a lot of heavy lifting in settling the viewer into this complex story. The first two episodes alone serve up a feast of sweeping shots over snowy mountains, open plains and painfully gorgeous elven architecture. Judging from screeners of the first two episodes provided by Prime Video, The Rings of Power makes a steady return to Middle-earth, offering all the things that endeared the originals to so many of us those many years ago: the breathtaking vistas, the latex prosthetics and even the occasional bouts of ponderous dialogue delivered to some point on the horizon. If you've watched Peter Jackson's classic Lord of the Rings film trilogy, you've visited Khazad-dûm as a terrifying tomb littered with skeletons, festooned with cobwebs and policed by a particularly nasty fire demon.

Is Elrond not an elf? Is this show related to the movies? Was that Gandalf? And more.

Chiefly, we learn that he can use some kind of magic (he whispers to the fireflies to command them, the same way Gandalf whispers to the moth in Fellowship of the Ring), and it seems to be dark (the fireflies die)—or maybe it just appears that way because he’s lost and frightened. We do learn a tiny bit more about him in The Rings of Power’s second episode, which contains all the makings of a classic At this point in the timeline, Elrond has not yet established Rivendell, the elegant Elven stronghold where the Fellowship of the Ring is formed, so it may simply be that he has no lands to rule. Eventually, Tolkien goes on to explain, the three groups migrated and mixed, so the distinctions between Hobbits are no longer as clear by the time of The Fellowship of the Ring. (You might remember some of this from the prologue to the movie version of The Fellowship of the Ring, which itself is narrated by Galadriel.) The Harfoots were browner of skin, smaller, and shorter, and they were beardless and bootless; their hands and feet neat and nimble; and they preferred highlands and hillsides. You may recall that Frodo and his fellows were allowed to sail there at the end of The original Lord of the Rings trilogy takes place in a period of Middle-earth’s history known as the Third Age. During the Second Age, when this show takes place, he and the other wizards are usually thought to still be in the west, far from the events of the show, where he goes by the name Olórin. In Tolkien’s writings, Gandalf has been alive since the beginning of time, but he doesn’t arrive in the Middle-earth till later, in the Third Age. The Rings of Power takes place much earlier, in the Second Age. You can’t really blame them, then, for not splurging on the rights to Tolkien’s other books, many of which deal with the history of Middle Earth in greater depth.

Tolkien frequently changed his mind about the the character. The Rings of Power showrunners and actor Morfydd Clark talk about their version.

She has been interpreted and reinterpreted and will continue to bet the subject of fascination: “I’m not the first, and I’m sure I won’t be the last Galadriel.” “There’s four versions of how Galadriel met a certain person, and we don’t have the rights to any of them, but we have to be aware of them,” says McKay. “Having that level of self-knowledge is extraordinary and speaks to what journey did she go on that she knows herself that well and can make the right choice? The showrunners wanted to focus on that moment where Galdriel rejects the ring and figure out how she grew into that character. “So the idea of Galadriel as a warrior is built into Though she appeared in the Lord of the Rings, Tolkien also wrote extensively about the powerful elf in the appendices to that work, his notes, and various other texts, often contradicting himself in the process. But in various other works, Tolkien writes about Galadriel as a warrior, which clearly influenced her portray in Rings of Power. This means Galadriel will undergo millennia of growth and experience before she becomes the version of the character we’re familiar with from that seminal text. But the immortal and powerful elf Galadriel is perhaps the closest we come to a hero in the series. The sprawling Lord of the Rings prequel, The Rings of Power, doesn’t have a main character. Payne and Patrick McKay about how they created a new version of one of Tolkien’s most iconic characters. In Jackson’s trilogy, Cate Blanchett plays an older version of Galadriel who serves as more as a stateswoman.

The Lord of the Rings prequel is set to stream September 1 on Prime Video. The series will have eight episodes and air weekly.

The next episode of The Rings of Power will be on Prime Video on September 8 at 9 p.m. There are six episodes left in Season 1 of The Rings of Power. HBO has Game of Thrones and its prequel [House of the Dragon](https://www.menshealth.com/entertainment/a40909082/house-of-the-dragon-season-1-release-schedule/), of course. [Wheel of Time](https://www.menshealth.com/entertainment/a38267616/wheel-of-time-books-order-amazon/), based on a critically acclaimed books series, had a slow start in its first season and has yet to earn the fanfare it stirred up. The first two episodes landed on Prime Video on Thursday, September 1 at 6 p.m. [Marvel](https://www.menshealth.com/entertainment/g40910435/best-marvel-tv-shows/) and [The Boys](https://www.menshealth.com/entertainment/a40544669/karl-urban-the-boys-season-3-interview/) fall into the broad categories of fantasy/sci-fi), audiences want complex, out of this world stories with big budgets. Vaughan comic book series](https://www.menshealth.com/entertainment/a40719326/paper-girls-comic/), still has no word on a Season 2 renewal despite its critical praise as an intriguing antithesis to Netflix’s Stranger Things. Netflix has Stranger Things and now The Sandman (which will hopefully soon be [renewed for Season 2)](https://www.menshealth.com/entertainment/a40799969/the-sandman-season-2-release-date-cast-spoilers/), Disney+ has its gargantuan Marvel and Star Wars universes, and then there’s Amazon’s Prime Video. PDT on Thursdays and 12 a.m. EDT on Fridays. Beyond The Boys, Prime Video has somewhat struggled to get possible franchises off the ground. PDT and 9 p.m.

No, Amazon's 'The Rings Of Power' is not pushing a leftist woke agenda. It's true to the spirit of Tolkien and The Lord Of The Rings.

I don’t care about the color of their skin, and I think it’s high time The original Vikings show was mostly white and that made sense given the context and history of Norway and the Viking people. [everyone just took a deep breath and chilled out for once](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQMsfDGUrjc). That is not the case with The Rings Of Power, at least not in its first two episodes. I’ve written previously about how I do think the most important kind of diversity is more diverse storytelling. I understand that Tolkien purists may find this a bit jarring. But that doesn’t mean we should only want white people in The Rings Of Power. Instead of making the character strong on her own merits, it does so by making the men around her creepy and sexist. Instead, Rings takes a color-blind approach to race, focusing on the racial tensions between Elves and Men or Elves and Dwarves instead. This is a silly critique for the most part, driven by idle speculation and a fandom that has been utterly overwhelmed by culture wars and endless politics. Now, I understand that this cuts both ways. Or maybe I’m looking at the past with rosy-tinted glasses.

How Amazon's "The Rings of Power" prequel grapples with the deeply ingrained ideas of racial difference and racial determinism in J.R.R. Tolkien's world.

But like so many fantasy (and nonfantasy stories), it still ties adventure, virtue and empowerment to the righteous genocidal slaughter of some other hated race. “The Rings of Power” — an eight-episode prequel to “Lord of the Rings” and loosely based on the original's appendices — is deliberately different. And I’m sure many Tolkien fans would argue that the grotesque, warty orcs we see in “Rings of Power” are pure fantasy. “Rings of Power” does an admirable job of rejecting the animosity toward Black and Asian people found in Tolkien’s work. [Nazi caricatures of Jews](https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/j-k-rowling-s-harry-potter-goblins-echo-jewish-caricatures-ncna1287043), Jim Crow-era caricatures of Black people, and even American World War I caricatures of Germans all used imagery that was violent, ugly, monstrous. [Tolkien described them](https://www.google.com/books/edition/Tolkien_and_the_Invention_of_Myth_A_Read/8LLxZXqgJdwC?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA114&printsec=frontcover) in a letter as “squat, broad, flat-nosed, sallow-skinned, with wide mouths and slant eyes: in fact degraded and repulsive versions of the (to Europeans) least lovely Mongol-types.” But for anyone familiar with Tolkien, or with popular narratives in general, it’s easy to figure out who the series believes is right. The much-lauded Peter Jackson “Lord of the Rings” film trilogy was wonderful in many ways, but it did little to challenge this tie between white skin and goodness. The show can even be read as responding to and rejecting The main protagonists were virtually all white; the wonderful Maori actor Lawrence Makoare was cast in villain parts as the Witch King of Angmar and Lurtz the Uruk-Hai. Lovecraft](https://www.vox.com/culture/21363945/hp-lovecraft-racism-examples-explained-what-is-lovecraftian-weird-fiction), but there’s a fairly straightforward case to be made that his books include racist ideas. [are often seen as a rebuke to fascism](https://www.patheos.com/blogs/henrykarlson/2019/05/tolkien-and-the-alt-right-orcs-tolkiens-forewarning-and-rejection-of-the-new-ultranationalism/).

Spoiler alert! The following contains important plot points from the first two episodes of Amazon's "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power," now ...

They run to the place where it landed, where they discover a giant man (Daniel Weyman) lying in a fiery crater. Elsewhere, Elrond travels to the dwarf kingdom of Khazad-dûm to make amends with Prince Durin IV (Owain Arthur) and partake in a glorious feast with Durin's wife, Princess Disa (Sophia Nomvete). Along the way, she meets a man named Halbrand (Charlie Vickers), who's stranded on a raft. "She has a difficult conversation with Elrond (Robert Aramayo) where she says, 'If I go to Valinor right now, it would be heaven. "She feels that's a duty of hers," Clark says. Although she and her warriors come up short, the elven high king Gil-galad (Benjamin Walker) rewards them for their efforts by sending them to Valinor, otherwise known as the Undying Lands or Grey Havens.

The first episode of Prime Video's 'LOTR' series takes us to the Second Age of J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth, many of years before the Fellowship.

They’re sure to find something of note in the ruins, but that will have to wait. For her reward, she is allowed to return to the Undying Lands of Valinor, away from Middle-earth and all its troubles. Arondir returns to Bronwyn, who we soon learn is a single mom raising Theo (Tyroe Muhafidin), a boy whose father’s identity remains a mystery (and who has to put up with all kinds of innuendo about his mom possibly being involved with a “pointy”). And thanks to the rest of the appendixes and The Silmarillion, the massive collection of Tolkienana that doubles as a history of Middle-earth, we know the highlights of what happens in between. When Morgoth comes to Valinor, Galadriel transforms into a warrior, taking the fight across the sea to Middle-earth for centuries of epic battles involving orcs, dragons, humans, and dwarfs that ends in victory for the side of good but leaves the continent in ruins and still vulnerable to the attacks of Morgoth’s disciple Sauron and his minions. “We Harfoots are free from the worries of the wide world,” she is told by her mother, Marigold (Sara Zwangobani). It’s here that The Rings of Power leaves Galadriel’s side for the first time. The Rings of Power smartly does a bit of standing on the shoulders of giants. (Maybe Ents?) Though Jackson is not involved in the series, its Middle-earth, Middle-earth’s inhabitants, and the series’ CGI effects all owe a debt to his films, which seems like the right choice. That’s not to say that The Rings of Power doesn’t relay the exposition with a tremendous amount of flair. Here’s how Tolkien sums up this era in one of the appendixes to The Lord of the Rings: “The Second Age ended with the first overthrow of Sauron, servant of Morgoth, and the taking of the One Ring.” So — oops, belated spoiler warning — we know how this story will eventually end. We’re over 20 years out from The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, the film in which Peter Jackson & Co.

The movies are an example of how faithful adaptations of literature can keep devoted fans of an almost 70-year-old book series glued to the silver screen, and ...

For those looking to scour Tolkien’s published texts for the prequel show’s premise, here’s what Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is based on. If you want to read the story of what goes on in the new Prime Video show, you’re out of luck. Prepare yourself if you’re a Tolkien fan—you’ll be in uncharted territory. “People have heard about it in montages and flashes, but these are massive untold stories.” Both the beloved series and movies have longevity because of their top quality, even all these years later. The movies are an example of how faithful adaptations of literature can keep devoted fans of an almost 70-year-old book series glued to the silver screen, and even gain some new fans along the way.

Why does Galadriel leap off the boat at the end of the first episode of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power on Amazon Prime Video?

The difficulty of that decision comes from the longing for the Undying Lands in the west that all elves feel to at least some extent, even characters like Legolas and Elrond. It’s hard to think of anything worse than being denied your destined place in heaven — except for being the only person in heaven who deeply longs to leave. “It’s a yearning and longing for a place that you can never return to, almost a place that you might not even have experienced. They were banned from returning to Valinor forever, but also cursed to grow quickly weary of the wider world and yearn for a home they could never see again. Most elves are then given new bodies for their spirits to inhabit and join all the other elves living in Valinor. And if you just want to generally refer to all of that, you can call it the Undying Lands or just the West with a capital W. The gods advised them not to, but they did it anyway, and in the process they got into a fight over boats that escalated into the first time elves had ever killed other elves. This doesn’t necessarily contradict with Tolkien either; Galadriel did have a brother, Finrod, who was captured by Sauron and died in the dark lord’s dungeons in single, unarmed combat with a werewolf, whom he also killed. If you want to talk about the nation of elves and gods there, it’s Valinor. The Noldor have all actually been to Valinor and lived centuries among its splendor — It may be that the show has more explanation up its sleeve, especially as it looks like Galadriel will be spending a bunch of time with human characters next — they’ll probably have questions about how she wound up in the middle of the ocean. [great war isn’t over with Sauron still at large](https://www.polygon.com/e/23094758) against her desire to return home to the Undying Lands across the sea.

However, that peace doesn't last long. When Morgoth engulfs Valinor in darkness, the elves fight back. After hundreds of years of war, Morgoth is deleted but ...

[‘The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power’ Character Posters: 22 Stars Of Amazon’s Epic Fantasy Series](https://deadline.com/gallery/lord-of-the-rings-the-rings-of-power-character-posters-photo-gallery/) [‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ Season 1 Photo Gallery (Spoilers)](https://deadline.com/gallery/the-lord-of-the-rings-the-rings-of-power-season-1-photo-gallery-spoilers/) However, because nothing can stay good in a world leading up to the re-emergence of Sauron, a shooting star crashes outside the Harfoots’ camp, revealing The Stranger (Daniel Weyman). And in Bronwyn’s home village, there are signs of danger when her son Theo (Tyroe Muhafidin), reveals a kilt engraved with Sauron’s symbol. In the Southlands, a land of men, the elves who were watching over them (protecting them from Morgoth ad the Orcs) are finally allowed to return home, forcing Arondir (Ismael Cruz Córdova) to say goodbye to Bronwyn (Nazanin Boniadi), a human healer for whom he has feelings despite their two species not necessarily seeing eye to eye. This younger Galadriel is from the start quite different from the character played by Cate Blanchett in Peter Jackson’s movies.

Amazon's Lord of the Rings TV show premieres on Sept. 1 and provides a new look at Middle-earth, Sauron, Galadriel, and other iconic things audiences will ...

One of the best locations in The Rings of Power is also one of the worst in the Lord of the Rings movies: Moria. In both The Rings of Power and The Lord of the Rings, elves that wish to retire from the land of mortals can sail off to paradise in a very somber ceremony. [a fictional history of Middle-earth](https://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Orcs#Years_of_the_Trees), a race of exclusively evil people that exist solely to give the bad guys an army. Early on in The Rings of Power, we do get a glimpse of LOTR’s big bad as he appears in those movies, but he almost certainly will take on a different and surprising form in The Rings of Power. So they brought in the harfoots, a nomadic group of little folk who stay out of sight but still get into trouble. One thing that appears to have changed very little between then and now in Middle-earth is its orc problem. This makes it all the more sad to see him as such a chill elf lad in The Rings of Power — he’s going to see some stuff that makes him a significantly less fun person. He’s one of the few links between every screen adaptation of Tolkien’s work, as Elrond was there for it all. For now, the show is taking us [mostly someplace new](https://www.polygon.com/23331136/lord-of-the-rings-middle-earth-map-rings-of-power). [sprawling cast](https://www.polygon.com/23032806/lotr-rings-power-release-date-cast-trailer). This lets fans participate on another level entirely, making every new tidbit that the show reveals a puzzle in and of itself, a pocket mystery where we already know the end, but not the “how” or “why.” [isn’t overly familiar yet](https://www.polygon.com/23329258/lord-rings-power-review-episode-release).

The first two episodes of "Rings of Power" prove it is, in fact, a compelling expansion of the Middle-earth mythos.

“The Rings of Power” doesn’t feel small compared to the movies, nor does it feel unworthy of them. Bayona both directed “Shadows of the Past” and the as-yet unnamed second episode, and it’s clear that his work on “The Impossible” and “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” adequately prepared him for the heft and scope of Middle-earth. Elsewhere in Episode 2, Nori attempts to nurse Comet Man (note: not his real name) back to health while dealing with both a language barrier and the fact that he’s somewhere between disoriented and insane. That comes mostly from the hobbits, represented in “The Rings of Power” by Nori Brandyfoot (Markella Kavenagh), whose wish for something grander than what her modest village offers is answered when a comet streaks across the sky at the end of the first episode. Keep an eye on Celebrimbor in the episodes to come — though he hasn’t had much screentime yet, he’s likely to be one of the most consequential characters in the entire series. Durin reluctantly agrees, and the two take the idea to his father: King Durin III (Peter Mullan), whose skepticism would appear to cast doubt on the whole affair. It was actually a collective sigh of relief emanating from countless “Lord of the Rings” fans who just watched the first two episodes of “The Rings of Power” and realized that it is, in fact, a compelling expansion of the Middle-earth mythos. Not that those familiar with her work in “Saint Maud” or “The Personal History of David Copperfield” will be surprised, but Clark proves more than worthy as Blanchett’s successor (or predecessor, as it were). He thinks he’s stopping by her humble abode to see her one last time after being relieved of his duty — a visit that displeases her young son — but the two end up venturing to a nearby village after a farmer asks her to look at his cow, who’s secreting something like blood from its udders rather than milk. For all that portent, “The Rings of Power” isn’t all doom and gloom. She then jumps into the action herself, leading a group of fellow elves as they scout for any remaining trace of Sauron and/or his orcs — and eventually finding his sigil in a snowy cave. The episodes, titled “Shadows of the Past” and “Adrift,” both premiered tonight, while the remaining six will air weekly.

The Stranger made an impact with his crash landing in episode one and, though we still don't know his identity, his demeanor seems awfully familiar.

So, it’s entirely possible that the showrunners opted to move up Gandalf’s arrival in Middle-earth, to tie his story more closely with that of the Rings of Power themselves and give him a greater sense of awareness that Sauron’s presence and influence lingers. For it is said indeed that being embodied the Istari [wizards] had need to learn much anew by slow experience, and though they knew whence they came the memory of the Blessed Realm was to them a vision from afar off, for which (so long as they remained true to their mission) they yearned exceedingly. The Rings Of Power is set firmly in the Second Age, which would suggest that Gandalf’s arrival is off by more than a millennium. Tolkien’s own limited writings on the origins of the wizard suggest that none of them set foot on the continent until 1,000 years into the Third Age, when the rising threat of Sauron grew too great to ignore, and the Valar decided the peoples of Middle-earth needed some extra help. It’s there, on the verge of more discovery, that we leave Nori, Poppy, and The Stranger at the end of episode 2, as our mystery man drapes himself in ragged fabrics and looks for answers after his arrival in Middle-earth. Tolkien’s own writing about the history of his fictional world, The Rings Of Power nevertheless proved right away that it’s as interested in blazing its own trail as it is in paying homage to its creator, introducing us to myriad new characters and situations that will all play a role in Amazon’s epic, 50-episode grand plan.

The second episode of The Rings of Power follows four different stories: Galadriel in the ocean, the Harfoots, Southlanders and Elrond.

g III (Peter Mullan) about Elrond’s intentions, and though the king doesn’t trust the elf, Durin uses his 50 years of friendship to advocate for him. Despite saying he’s good friends with Durin IV (son of the Dwarven king), Elrond is initially turned down when he tries to enter their kingdom. Unaware of Arondir’s fate, Bronwyn returns to her cottage, finding everything a mess and seeing a hole in her floor just like the one in the destroyed village. Theo grabs the hilt he had in the previous episode, but when a drop of blood touches it, an ominous dark blade forms. Nori plans to steal a book from the leader of the Harfoots, Sadoc (Lenny Henry), to find information about the constellation. In the world of the Harfoots, Nori (Markella Kavenagh) goes to investigate the crater formed by the impact of the object that fell from the sky, finding The Stranger (Daniel Weyman) lying unresponsive in the center, while Poppy (Megan Richards) reluctantly accompanies her. To do it he needs a workforce significantly more powerful than the elves. However, the second they realize she’s an elf, they blame her for what happened to them and one of them pushes her off. Celebrimbor details his plans to build a tower with a powerful furnace for smithing by spring. The two of them lock eyes for a few tense moments as the dirt around them begins floating before The Stranger passes out again. Thankfully, Theo has managed to find a hiding spot, and even though he insists she go, she also finds a hiding spot right before an Orc appears. Bronwyn goes home and begins packing despite Theo’s (Tyroe Muhafidin) protests, but when she tries to warn everyone else they don’t believe her.

Fire that doesn't burn. Sunlight and moonlight trees. A “Stranger” who falls from the sky. Fëanor's hammer. What does it all mean?

For the casual viewer, you might think of this as Tolkien’s World War I, except it lasted for centuries. It’s also a conflict that found the human beings of the Southland on the wrong side, joining with the forces of evil. In Tolkien’s telling, the remains of Laurelin become the sun and Telperion becomes the moon. They are the sources of the light. Melkor](https://lotr.fandom.com/wiki/Melkor), the demonic presence who first ravages Middle-earth and has Sauron—the glowing eye and the main villain of The Lord of the Rings novels—as his apprentice. Tolkien’s novels came to control the many other rings that gave Sauron near-limitless control of Middle-earth.

Prime Video's new "Lord of the Rings" prequel TV series "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" debuted its first two episodes Thursday night — and ...

“Nothing short of cringeworthy,” wrote Eric. was as unimpressed as Gollum being gifted a ring from Kay Jewelers. It’s a smoldering dumpster fire.” “The writing is worse than what you could expect to see on CW. of the show that stars Morfydd Clark as Galadriel and Robert Aramayo as Elrond. [ scored a measly 37% audience rating](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_lord_of_the_rings_the_rings_of_power) on Rotten Tomatoes with more than 2,800 user reviews so far.

As fans tried to stream the series, some complained that only Episode 2 was available for viewing.

[@JayAreOliver](https://twitter.com/JayAreOliver/status/1565505562753785858) wrote, “Amazon only released episode 2 of Rings of Power? Strange marketing plan.” [@moviesRtherapy](https://twitter.com/moviesRtherapy/status/1565505593212866560) was overcome by emotion, writing, “Only Episode 2 of [#TheRingsOfPower](https://twitter.com/hashtag/TheRingsOfPower?src=hashtag_click) is working right now. “‘House of the Dragon’ was successfully viewed by millions of HBO Max subscribers last night. [@LOTRonPrime](https://twitter.com/LOTRonPrime) hopefully it’s just me but only episode 2 is available not episode 1 why!? [@therealmccaw](https://twitter.com/therealmccaw/status/1565504301065289729) tweeted. “It looks good, has a few charismatic performances that sell the characters and is all in all watchable, if something less than compelling — predictable even in the suspenseful parts, occasionally exciting and sometimes sort of boring. The option to press play for Episode 1 of the series was nowhere to be found, with the play button missing altogether and text reading “This video is currently unavailable.” According to [the “Game of Thrones” prequel series](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2022-08-19/house-of-the-dragon-review-hbo-game-of-thrones) “House of the Dragon” reported experiencing an outage on HBO Max, according to [DownDetector.com](https://downdetector.com/status/hbo-max/). [statement provided to The Times](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2022-08-22/house-of-dragon-the-premiere-hbo-max-down-crash). [measured review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2022-08-31/lord-of-the-rings-the-rings-of-power-review-amazon-prime-video) of the series. Has to be a mistake,”

When you first meet Elanor “Nori” Brandyfoot (Markella Kavenaugh) and Poppy Proudfellow (Megan Richards) in Amazon's “Lord of the Rings” prequel series “The ...

“If you or I were in Middle Earth we would be like, ‘Oh gosh, what can we go see?’ but she’s just no, stay hidden, stay put, and say in the close confines of the community,” he said. “That also added to the depth of the character as a whole and as a whole community,” Richards added. “Halflings are really just part of the heart of Middle Earth and they are part of what makes it warm and fun and relatable.” “Every Harfoot has a skirt that splits in two and has this leaf that can go over your head as if to become like a mothball or a tree,” Richards said. “One of them that really stuck with me was to walk like a 5-year-old child,” Richards said. “I have to tell you, what we talked about was Lucy Ricardo and Ethel Mertz,” he said to IndieWire, referencing the “I Love Lucy” pals.

A women wearing armor and carrying a sword walks away from a burning building. Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) takes center stage in Amazon's new prequel series.

That hasn’t always been a bad thing; action and fantasy films embracing the nuances of morality and subverting the logic of cinema have led to some of the 21st century’s best filmmaking. And just as I often felt nervous while watching Game of Thrones whether it had a coherent endpoint in mind as it weaved and bobbed through Westeros, I worry that The Rings of Power will be stuffed with too many invented subplots and side characters that ultimately don’t have anything to do with the story besides adding more run time. Among the hobbit-like Harfoots, we see the spunky young Nori Brandyfoot (Markella Kavenagh), and in the world of men, there’s the healer and single mother Bronwyn (Nazanin Boniadi), who strikes up a romance with a warrior elf Arondir (Ismael Cruz Córdova). In short, it explores Middle Earth’s Second Age, which takes place thousands of years before the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings and is not based on any of Tolkien’s novels, but rather the information gleaned in their appendices. To answer the question: The Rings of Power is not like Game of Thrones, at least not in that way. Anonymous sources told the fan blog [The One Ring that](https://www.theonering.net/torwp/2021/07/20/110907-spy-report-incredible-details-from-amazons-lord-of-the-rings-characters-sexless-nudity-halflings/) while there will be nudity in the series, it would be “sparse and not sexualized.” Happily, many of the most important ones are women: Amazon’s series centers on a younger Galadriel, played by Morfydd Clark (Cate Blanchett in the films), a warrior elven princess intent on avenging her brother’s death by Sauron. [published](https://dc.swosu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2138&context=mythlore) a scathing critique of the women of J.R.R. (For context about what happens to the women of GoT, in the first two episodes of House of the Dragon, there’s a brutally graphic childbirth scene in which [both mother and infant die](https://www.vox.com/culture/23316570/house-of-the-dragon-heirs-review-recap-childbirth-scene), and in the second, a grown man almost [marries a 12-year-old girl](https://www.vox.com/culture/23327326/house-of-the-dragon-episode-2-rogue-prince-review-recap-rhaenyra-alicent-rhaenicent).) “It is technically an epic fantasy adventure, but I don’t think it hews to the same kind of ideas of masculinity and power that a lot of these stories traditionally do,” the writer Karen Han told the Had Game of Thrones cast such a shadow over the entertainment world that a high fantasy series without sex and gore was considered unprofitable? Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings.

Believe it or not, it's been nearly a decade since Peter Jackson's third and final Hobbit movie, The Battle of the Five Armies, was released in theaters. It's ...

That’s long, long before the events of the movies, but there are still plenty of memorable characters and places that pop up in both. If you’re a completionist, you can also throw in the animated movies from the late 1970s and early 1980s. Not everyone has that amount of time! We’ve collected some relevant clips for you! While Rings of Power may take place thousands of years before the movies, it’s natural to want to revisit the earlier editions of the franchise and brush up on some of your Middle-earth knowledge. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Believe it or not, it’s been nearly a decade since Peter Jackson’s third and final Hobbit movie, The Battle of the Five Armies, was released in theaters. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (watch on The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Amazon’s mega-sized series is one of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (watch on The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (watch on

Amazon's ambitious “Lord of the Rings” prequel series has finally arrived. Here are seven takeaways from the first two episodes.

Part of the challenge for Payne and McKay — as it was for Tolkien and Jackson — is to tell a story with clearly defined heroes and villains that leaves room for those heroes to be complicated. No “Lord of the Rings” plot really gets going until the heroes leave home. In a climactic moment at the end of the first episode, Galadriel chooses not to join her comrades, and instead jumps off their boat before the light transports them. The humans in Middle-earth are weary of the elves patrolling their lands and acting haughtily. And unlike “House of the Dragon” — which so far has kept most of its action confined to one or two locations — “The Rings of Power” spreads its story around. It’s hard to avoid comparing the TV “Lord of the Rings” with the much-hyped “House of the Dragon,” given that both are pricey prequels, derived from beloved works of fantasy fiction, arriving at the same time. That said, anyone who loved “Thrones” will find it hard not to notice how “The Rings of Power” keeps viewers oriented by zooming across a cool-looking computer-animated map, much like in the HBO hit’s opening credits. Now that the first two episodes of “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” are finally available to Prime Video subscribers, we have some answers to long-lingering questions. “The Rings of Power” similarly sets the stage cleanly and clearly. There may be some benefit to remaining Tolkien-neutral when it comes to “The Rings of Power.” Though the series draws on the author’s detailed notes about his fantasy realm, the showrunners, J.D. Part of what made the “Lord of the Rings” movie trilogy a success was that Jackson and his team simplified Tolkien’s saga, beginning with a prologue that explained what viewers needed to know. Long ago there was a grand battle between the evil Lord Sauron’s armies and a coalition of heroic humans and elves, and in the aftermath an all-powerful ring fell into the wrong hands, so now it must be taken to a volcano and destroyed.

But as might be the case with "House of the Dragon," a prequel series to a beloved fantasy property might spook off newcomers unfamiliar with the original ...

The showrunners for "Rings of Power" are J.D. Of course, Elves are immortal in Tolkien's world, and their participation in Second Age events was canonized in "The Silmarillion." There are Dwarves, too -- King Durin III and his brood -- who live in prosperity in the city of Moria before an unfortunate encounter with a (It's worth noting that Tolkien's son made these comments around the release of Jackson's first "Hobbit" film, which received far more middling reviews than his first three films in Middle-earth.) Oh, and don't expect immediate resolution to the series' storylines -- Payne told Amazon's cast list is exhaustive (but notably missing a few names, including that of the unknown actor thought to play Sauron). Whether you've pored over "The Silmarillion" repeatedly in advance of the new show or you don't know the difference between an Orc and an Ent (one's a goblinesque monster and the other is a talking, walking tree creature, for the record), here's what you need to know before you watch "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power." She's back in the prequel, this time played by Morfydd Clark, and by the looks we've gotten of her in the trailers, she's just returned from battle when we catch up with her. We may or may not get to see the Lord of the Rings himself in his corporeal form -- Amazon is keeping mum on how he'll appear in the series, but he'll undoubtedly loom large over it. It's likely meant to be presented as a fictional historical account written by several authors -- possibly including one Bilbo Baggins -- that covers everything from the origin of Tolkien's world to its later ages. , the action is set in Middle-earth's Second Age, "thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Now is the Tolkienites' time to geek out --

The Monitor is a weekly column devoted to everything happening in the WIRED world of culture, from movies to memes, TV to Twitter.

The company could [use some goodwill](https://www.wired.com/story/hbo-max-discovery-plus-combined/). Perhaps giving people a reason to hit the box office to see one of the biggest TV shows of the year—if not the biggest TV show of the year—is just the thing. Understandably, Amazon spent millions of dollars on the show as a way to get people to subscribe to Prime, not get their butts into cinema seats. Also, Rings of Power is a TV show, not a movie, so its format isn’t exactly conducive to the cinema experience. [Covid-19](https://www.wired.com/tag/covid-19/) pandemic, and while blockbusters like Spider-Man: No Way Home and Top Gun: Maverick have proven there is still an appetite for big-screen experiences, the future of movie theaters is the subject of much hand-wringing. [AMC ad](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiEeIxZJ9x0), which has been playing ahead of screenings at the theater chain for months, revealed that it’s getting a sequel.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” has made its debut and the cast is finally able to talk about the years-long effort.

But I also do hope that there are kids that haven’t been introduced yet and that, you know, maybe they will be inspired to go back to the books and rediscover them or discover them for the first time.” — Markella Kavenagh, who plays a young harfoot girl. I think because it is a brand new thing, it’s more exciting than worrying.” — Charles Edwards, who plays Celebrimbor. If people feel his voice and his themes and his tones in the show even a little bit, we’ll just be thrilled. "I think when people talk about the budget of the series, one thing that I keep saying is that I don’t think people want a budget version of this story. I think you need the resources to tell a story of this scale.” — Cynthia Addai-Robinson, who plays the queen-regent of Númenor. The first line in the show is ‘Nothing is evil in the beginning.’” — Patrick McKay, a showrunner and executive producer. It was our lives and it was a letter and a testament letter of love to all the fans and everyone else in the world that was indoors.” — Ismael Cruz Córdova, who plays an elf soldier. “Definitely I feel the weight of expectation on my character because he’s obviously been portrayed in the films and people have an idea of who he is already. But equally people like me that love fantasy and still read it and go and see the movies and films and whatever — I think that will appeal as well.” — Sara Zwangobani, who plays the harfoot Marigold Brandyfoot. "There is great evil in Tolkien and there is in this show. Of course, having a prior knowledge of the lore and the world will only enhance the experience. Amazon Studios has launched “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,” a series is based on J.R.R.

The new Amazon Prime series based on the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien is rated TV-14.

The first two episodes of “The Rings of Power” introduced some frightening creatures and menacing characters. This series is not based on a Tolkien book, but on the six-part “appendices” about Middle-earth history that follow his book “Return of the King.” The so-far mild sexual innuendo and references will likely pass over kids’ heads. The entire series is expected to cost more than $1 billion. But there are some familiar elves — notably Galadriel — and evil forces we’re all too familiar with. Amazon paid $250 million for the rights, and that’s just the beginning.

Amazon Prime Video quietly introduced a new 72-hour delay for all user reviews posted to Prime Video, including "A League of Their Own" and "The Lord of the ...

[Lord of the Rings](https://variety.com/t/lord-of-the-rings/): [The Rings of Power](https://variety.com/t/the-rings-of-power/),” Prime Video’s monumentally scaled fantasy series based on the works of J.R.R. The series appears to have been review bombed — when trolls flood intentionally negative reviews for a show or film — on other sites like [Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_lord_of_the_rings_the_rings_of_power), where it has an 84% rating from professional critics, but a 37% from user-submitted reviews. Each critique is then evaluated to determine whether it’s genuine or a forgery created by a bot, troll or other breed of digital goblin.

“The lord of the Rings”, a film trilogy based on J.R.R. Tolkien's novels, set the standard for blockbuster adaptations of beloved books.

After all, what made “The Lord of the Rings” so effective was the simplicity of the underlying idea. More than that, “The Rings of Power” is a statement of Amazon’s grand aspirations. As Galadriel, the hero of the show, once proclaimed: “The quest stands upon the edge of a knife. Now “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power”, a series on Amazon Prime Video, will attempt to match that success. [Game of Thrones](/culture/2022/08/19/house-of-the-dragon-is-a-slick-follow-up-to-game-of-thrones)” or Netflix’s “Stranger Things”. “The lord of the Rings”, a film trilogy based on J.R.R.